Rotary valve and internal combustion engine construction and lubrication



April 18, 1939. A. D. SNYDER 2,154,782

ROTARY VALVE AND INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE CONSTRUCTION AND LUBRICATION Filed June 13, 1935 INVENTOR.

flulden D. Sqyder 527M651 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 18, 1939;

nomar VALVE AND INTERNAL concus- TION ENGINE CON STRUCTION LUBRICATION Aulden n. Snyder, Cleveland, Ohio, seen..- of

one-third to William J. Wesseler, Cleveland,

Ohio Application June 13,

3 Claims.

This invention, as indicated, relates to an improvement in Internal combustion engine andvalve construction set forth in United States Patent No. 1,883,038 dated October 18, 1932. More 5 particularly it relates to an improvement in rotary valve and internal combustion engine construction and lubrication. One of. the principal ob- Jects of my invention is to eliminate thru the utilization of the lubricating-medium as a cooling medium, the causes for objections and failures usually associated with" rotary or articulated valve mechanisms, namely: warping, sticking, improper or uncontrolled lubrication, hotspotting and preignition at high operative engine speeds. Another object'of my invention is to provide a booster pump as an inherent function of the rotary valve mechanism, to serve as the means for supplying lubrication to the operative parts of an internal combustion engine, in combination with a suction and pressure pump.

Another object of my invention is to provide a means for control of and positive removal of surplus or unwanted lubrication from certain portions of a rotary valve mechanism A further object of my invention is to provide a method of removal of surplus heat accumulated by the lubricating oil used for both lubrication and cooling.

While, the accompanying drawing serves to illustrate certain mechanism embodying my invention, such disclosed means constitutes but one of the various mechanical forms in which the principle of my invention may be' used. In said annexed drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an internal combustion engine embodying the. principles of my invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section thru the upper portion of the engine taken along the line 2-2 shown in Figure 4; Figure 3 is a plan view of the valve mechanism as it appears with the upper portion of the sectional cylinder head removed; Figure 4 is a plan view of the lower portion of the sectional cylinder head as it appearsafter removal of the upper cylinder head portion, filler portion and valves.

Similar numerals are used to refer to similar or the same parts thruout the various views.

Referring to Figure 1 of saidannexed drawing, the cylinder block and crankcase l is provided with an oil reservoir 2, a sectional cylinder head comprised of upper portion 3, filler portion 4, and lower portion 5. A suction and pressure oil feed pump 6 draws oil from reservoir 2 thru suction line 1, and feeds oil under pressure thru oil pressure line 8 to the valve mechanism. Any surplus 1935, Serial No. 26,429

lubricant supplied to the valve mechanism is returned thru surplus oil suction line 9 leading to suction side of said suction and pressure pump 8.

A valve booster lubricant discharge line In careries lubricant under pressure created by the said valve mechanism to oil cooler and distributor H 011 feeds from said distributor and cooler thru distribution tube 12 to main crankshaft bearings I3. After lubrication of operative parts of engine within the crankcase and cylinder blocks, the. oil drops back into reservoir 2 where it accumulatesv and the cycle of flow is thus made complete and continuous.

A housing M at the forward end of the crankshaft contains spiral bevel gears which serve to drive the valve and ignition drive shaft IS. A carburetor I6 is mounted on upper portion 3 of said cylinder head, and connects directly with an intake manifold contained in said upper portion of the sectional cylinder head. Likewise, an exhaust pipe I! is mounted on side of said upper cylinder head portion and connects directly with an exhaust manifoldwithin said head section.

1 In Figure 2 of said annexed drawing, the lower cylinder head section 5 is .bolted to jacketed block I. Within said lower head section is combustion chamber I8, valve intake port l9, valve lubrication passageway 20, fed by oil pressure line 8. Said cylinder head section contains counterbored holes for anchoring drilled pivot pins 2|. Oil pressure passageway 20 connects with longitudinal oil distributing pasageway 22. Said distributing passageway feeds lubricant thru coincident transverse drilled holes in said drilled pivot pins 2 I, and then thru drilled pivot. pin passageway 23 in said pivot pins. On upper surface of lower.

head portion 5, is oil ring groove 24, and oil surplus removal grooves 25. Said surplus removal grooves connect thru drilled holes to longitudinal oil suction passageways 26, 26, and thus constantly removeany surplus lubricant from the vicinity of the valve ports. A spark plug 21 for ignition of gases within said cylinder, is mounted in wall of intake port l9. Cored cooling jackets 28 remove heat from lower cylinder head section 5.

Mounted on lower head section 5 is filler piece thru drilled holes 32 in disc valve hub, into in I terior 33 of hollow disc gear valve 29.

Contact of oil fed under pressure, with the in- .terior wall surfaces of said hollow rotary disc "ring groove 24 on upper surface'of lowerhead section 5,, as well as annular oil groove 31 on upper surface of said valve disc. Said annular .oil groove 31 also receives part of its oil supply directly thru drilled passageway. .23,, insaid pivot pin, and said supply serves as an auxiliary feed to upper surface of valve disc 29, said surface receiving the higher unit bearing pressure of the two wiping surfaces of the hollow disc valve. Oil circulation as described is indicated by directional arrows. Completing the valve mechanism chamher is upper cylinder'head section 3, with plane lower surface receiving the pressure and thrust of the articulated disc gear valves 29. Within said upper cylinder head section is intake manifold 38, exhaust gas manifold 39, and circulation cooling jacket 43. Directly connected to intake manifold 38, is carburetor downdraft connection l6. Directly connected to exhaust gas manifold 39 is exhaust pipe l1.

It is obvious that where jacket cooling is shown on the attached drawing, air cooling fins or other external cooling means could be substituted.

In Figure 3 of the annexed drawing, the upper portion of valve drive shaft I5 is keyed'to valve driving pinion 4|, which meshes with the first articulated hollow disc gear valve 29. Directions of rotation of said driving. pinion and disc gear valves are as indicated-by the arrows. Oil under 7 pressure feeds thru oil. pressure line 9, thru oil lead 29, into oil distributing passageway 22, thence thru passageways 23 in pivot pins 2|. Part of said pressure fed oil flows into uppe annular oil groove 24 on upper surface of valve disc 29, and another part flows into the interior 33 of said hollow disc gear valves. Oil reaching said valve interior flows out thru drilled holes 35 and 36 to running clearance space between surfaces of said valves and containing'adjacent surfaces of upper and lower head sections, thus faces of said disc gear valves. The-film of oil on said wiping surfaces is thrown to the peripheries of said disc gear valves by centrifugal action. At the peripheries of respective valves the oil is picked up by the gear teeth, in the restricted ford excessive clearance space between its inner surface contour and the addendum circle of said gear teeth.' Where direction of rotation is in same'direction as desired lubricant flow, the filler piece inner contour conforms closely to the addendum circle of the respective disc gear teeth? Thus, by referring to Figure 3 of the drawing, it

will be noted that all oil which has. passed to the peripheries of respective disc gear val'ves by virtue of centrifugal action or otherwise, is brought to booster discharge opening 42 by the booster pump I action of the articulated valve mechanism. Oil which reaches said discharge opening 42, is carried into valve booster oil discharge line l0, connected to said opening 42 in lower head section 5.

In Figure 4 of said annexed drawing, surplus.

lubricant is prevented from gaining access to intake ports l9, and exhaust ports 43, by oil surplus collection grooves 44, in the vicinity of the leading edges of said ports. Oil so collected is removed thru suction openings 45, interconnecting said oil collection grooves and longitudinal oil surplus suction passageways 26, 26. The surplus lubricantthen continues to flow thru connecting passageway 46, interconnecting the two longitudinal passageways 26, 26, and connecting to surplus oil removal suction line 9.

On the upper plane surface of lower head sec- .tion 5, and on the lower plane surface of upper head section 3, are radial oil grooves 41, one on each surface for each hollow disc gear valve. These radial grooves are fed by annular grooves 24 in lower head section 3, and by annular oil grooves 31 on upper surfaces, of respective disc gear valves.

It will be observed that in the manner described the hollow disc gear valves are operated between cooling jacketed surfaces, and the ports in the head sections are completely cooling jacketed. The hollow disc gear valves have a continual supply of flowing oil thru them. Thus, the oil serves as both a lubricating and cooling medium, and the port in respective valve discs is oil jacketed. The flow of the lubricant thru the hollow disc gear valves assists materially in the removal of heat. The adjacent cooling jackets assist in removal of heat from the lubricating medium, and the lubricant cooler and distributor ll removes any undesirable residual heat from the oil before it is fed by the booster pump action of the valve mechanism to the interior workin parts of the engine. The walls of the disc valve flow in the cooling jacketed head sections of the engine. Such cooling prevents the lubricant from attaining a temperature conducive to sludglng, and further prevents warping, sticking, hotspotting or preignition on'the part .of the valves. Lubricant is supplied to the valve mechanism as fast as it is dissipated or required, consistent with proper lubrication, and any surplus lubricant is removed from regions where it is unwanted, by

positive suction means.

'The .described construction is conducive to maximum volumetric efflciency thru its favorable effect on variable factors that determine volumetric efficiency, namely: frictional resistance encountered in passage of gas from carburetor into cylinder; the gas velocity; the amount of heat received by the charge while passing into cylinder; andtiming of the intake and exhaust.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that heat picked up'by the lubricant used for both lubrication and cooling of the rotary valves, is removed by the action of the cooler, before. the lubricant is fed to the inner working parts of the internal combustion engine. This arrangement is also conducive to a more uniform temperature of the lubricating medium, since the circulation of the engine cooling medium will serve to add heat to cold oil in cold weather operation, and to remove heat from hot oil in hot weather operation.

It might also be pointed out that the trailing edges of the ports l9 and 43 in the lower section of the cylinder head shown in Figure 4, may be provided with a suitable abrasion resisting material such as Stellite to provide a longer life for the scraping edges of the ports for removal of any soot or carbon deposit from the wiping surfaces of the respective valve discs. Also, the hollow disc gear valves are adaptable to cast or forged construction. In the latter case, the forged sections would be welded-together before machining. In the case of cast valves the interior would be cored and the gear teeth would be made as apart of a ring gear which would be shrunk on and keyed.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, providing the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such statedmeans be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus of the character described,

having in combination a cylinder block, a head provided on the upper side thereof, inlet and exhaust passageways formed through said head, cooling chambers surrounding said passageways,- a plurality of hollow intermeshing gear disc rotatable valves flat on each face and mounted on pins within said head, intake passageways for oil through said pins into the interior of said discs, oil discharge ports through the upper and lower surfaces of said discs, said ports being positioned to travel paths spaced from the inlet and exhaust passageways, oil return ports adjacent said passageways inwardly of the paths of travel of said oil discharge ports, a pump, and oil lines connecting said respective intake passageways and oil return ports directly with said pump.

2. An apparatus of the character described,

having in combination a cylinder block, a head provided on the upepr side thereof, inlet and exhaust passageways formed through said head, cooling chambers surrounding said passageways, a plurality of hollow intermeshing gear disc rotatable valves fiat on each face and mounted on pins within said head intake, passageways for oil through said pins into the interior of said discs, oil discharge ports through the zipper and lower surfaces of said discs, said ports being positioned to travel paths spaced from the inlet and exhaust passageways, oil return ports adjacent said passageways inwardly of the paths of travel of said oil discharge ports, a pump, an oil reservoir adjacent said pump, oil lines connecting said respective intake passageways and oil return ports directly with said pump, and an auxiliary oil line communicating with the head adjacent the lateral margins of said discs to return oil to said reservoir.

3. An apparatusv of the character described, having in combination a cylinder block, a head provided on the uppenside thereof, inlet and exhaust passageways formed through said head, cooling chambers surrounding said passageways, a plurality of hollow intermeshing gear disc rotatable valves flat on each face and mounted on pins within said head intake, passageways for oil through said pins into the interior of said discs, oil discharge ports through the upper and lower surfaces of said discs, said ports being positioned to travel paths spaced from the inlet and exhaust passageways, oil return ports adjacent said passageways inwardly of the paths of travel of said oil discharge ports, a pump, an oil reservoir adjacent said pump, 011 lines connecting said respective intake passageways and oil return ports directly with said pump, and oil cooling and engine lubrication passageways connected with an auxiliary oil line communicating with the head adjacent the lateral margins of said discs to return on to said reservoir.

AUIDEN D. SNYDER. 

